


Six Months

by Thefemalearrow



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Cancer, F/F, F/M, Lung Cancer, Murder Mystery, beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24663790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thefemalearrow/pseuds/Thefemalearrow
Summary: After finding out they only have six more months with one of their closet friends, they decide to make these the best six months of her life. But fate has other plans...
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

It was the night before senior year started. The group was having a bonfire in Veronica's backyard. "Let's make a toast," Veronica said. "To a normal senior year. No cults, no murders, no griffons, and gargoyles. Just prom and graduation."  
Everyone made a toast to that, except for Betty. "Is everything alright Bets?" Archie asked. She silently got up. They knew this was going to be serious,  
"There's something I've been putting off telling you guys all night," she said. Tears started welling up in her eyes. "I went to the doctor this morning. He ran so many tests. When he told us the results, I went into a state of shock."  
Everyone looked at Betty, knowing her next words weren't going to be good. "I've got it," she said.  
"Got what?" Cheryl asked.  
"Lung cancer," she said. No one knew what to say. They were all hoping this was some kind of sick senior prank. "Stage three. They said at most I have six months."  
She sat down quietly. Jughead wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, not knowing what to say or do.  
Eventually, Veronica stood back up. "Then I propose a new toast," she declared. "To making these next six months the best of our dear Betty's life."  
"I can toast to that," Archie said. Everyone stood up and cheers to that.  
\---  
On the other side of town, Toni was bartending at the Whyte Worm. She needed the extra cash so she wasn't able to go to the bonfire, but Cheryl was sending her all of the details. The next text made Toni almost drop the bottle of beer.  
Cheryl: Just found out Betty has cancer :(. She only has six months left.  
Toni: You're joking, right?  
Cheryl: Nope, but we made a pact to make these next six months epic.  
"Off your phone and serve me my beer," a serpent yelled. Toni put her phone in her back pocket. She gave the guy a bottle of beer. There was then a scream from the girl's bathroom.  
Toni ran to the bathroom. A female serpent was laying on the floor with multiple stab wounds. These words were written on the wall.  
'I'm back. Now the serpents will die.'


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and Archie were hanging out in the student lounge. "So I was thinking," Veronica said. "This weekend we head down to the beach. The weather is going to be perfect for beach weather."  
"Sure," Jughead said.  
"I'm down," Betty said. Archie was silent. His dad would always take him to the beach. They'd spend the day there fishing and playing in the water. Now his father was gone and his best friend would be soon.  
"How about no," Archie said. "That place has terrible currents. I was almost swept away last time I went."  
Before anyone could say another word, Cheryl entered. "Principal buzz kill canceled the back to school dance," she said. "Which is why I'm having it at Thornhill. You all have to RSP."  
"That sounds fun," Archie said. "Better than a dumb beach with bad currents."  
"Fine, but we are finishing this discussion later," Veronica said. The bell then rang and everyone started heading to class.  
\---  
After school, Jughead and Betty went to the Whyte Worm. They had heard about what happened the previous night. "What happened?" Jughead asked as he and Betty entered the bar.  
"They found Lauren murdered in the bathroom," Toni reported. "Along with a note saying someone is back and they're coming for all of the serpents."  
"Any tips on who this person is?" Jughead asked. Toni shakes her head.  
"The message was written in blood so the handwriting was hard to identify," Toni said. Jughead caressed Betty's face.  
"Look, I know this is stressful," he said. "Let's go to Pops and just be teenagers."  
Betty grabbed his hands. "Jug, you and I are serpent king and queen. This is our job. If anything, I want these next six months to be normal. Solving murders is our normal. So let's do this. Together."  
"Yeah, together," Jughead said as the pair kissed. Betty then collapsed in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Jughead took Betty home after a trip to the doctor's office. She had passed out from exhaustion. Jughead laid her in her bed. "Jug," Betty said.  
"Yes babe," Jughead said.  
"Stay please," she said. A soft smile crossed Jughead's face.  
"I wasn't planning on leaving you," he said. He got into the bed with her and wrapped his arms around her. She nuzzled into his chest."Betty, can I ask you something?"  
"Of course," she said.  
"Are you scared of dying?" he whispered.  
"Kind of," Betty said. "Who isn't at least a little scared of death? But I've been taking down murderers for a few years now. My life is constantly on the line, so death doesn't scare me that much."  
Jughead kissed her forehead. She then fell asleep. Jughead didn't fall asleep. He just kept her close and stayed, enjoying the time he had with her.  
\---  
There was another scream from the girl's bathroom at the Whyte Worm. Toni ran into the bathroom. There was a serpent girl laying on the ground with a stab wound. There was someone escaping through the window.  
"Someone call 911," Toni called out as she followed the figure. She kept chasing them. They entered the dark woods.  
As the night got darker, she started to give up. That was until there was a knife in her back. The knife was ripped out as she collapsed to the ground.  
The person ran away as she started coughing. Her vision started to blur as she wondered what was on the other side.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

Everyone rushed to the hospital. Cheryl ran to the receptionist. "Where is Toni Topaz?" she yelled. "Is she alive? When I find out who did this I will kill them in their sleep."  
"Calm down," the receptionist said. "Miss. Topaz is still in surgery."  
Cheryl sat beside Betty. Cheryl buried her face in her hands as she cried. Betty rubbed her back. "I can't lose her," Cheryl said. "I've already lost my brother, dad. If I lost her, I would snap."  
"You won't lose her," Jughead said. "Toni is a fight."  
Just then, Jughead's phone vibrated. He got a text from an anonymous number.  
Unknown: You're right, she is a fighter. As a reward, I will tell you where I will strike next. See you at Palm Beach, New Jersey.  
"I got a text from the killer," Jughead said. "They said the next time they are striking is going to be at Palm beach. So I guess we are going to Palm Beach."  
"One of us should stay back," Archie said. "To protect the remaining serpents."  
"Most of the serpents are on vacation at Palm Beach," Cheryl said.  
"What is up with you and the beach?" Veronica asked.  
"It's nothing," Archie said. "I'll tell you later."  
\---  
The group arrived at the beach. "My dad use to take me here every summer," Archie said.  
"I remember that," Betty said. "I went with you guys a few times. Last time I went we all got terrible sunburnt."  
"Those were the good times," Archie said, with a sigh.  
"There's no sign of an attack or anyone else on this side of the beach," Jughead said.  
"I say we camp out until someone shows up," Cheryl said. The group nod and heads into the woods.  
\---  
It was night and no one had shown up. They had made a fire in the woods near the beach. Archie stood up. "I decided I'm going to tell you guys why I didn't want to go to the beach," Archie said.  
"Finally," Veronica said.  
"My dad took me to the beach every summer since I was six," Archie said. "No matter how crazy or hectic our lives where, we'd always take at least one trip a summer. The weekend after the fourth of July is when we were planning on going this summer, but then you know. This place brings back sad memories, and now with Betty dying I thought it would be too much."  
Betty stood up. "I get it, Arch," she said. "Death isn't fun. Did I plan on dying at 17? No. But we shouldn't let that stop us from doing what we love. I hope one day you'll be able to enjoy the beach again."  
Betty sat down as Archie pulled out a guitar. He started playing 'Landslide' by Fleetwood Mac.  
Betty: I took my love, I took it down  
Climbed a mountain and I turned around  
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills  
'Til the landslide brought me down  
Veronica joined in.  
Veronica and Betty: Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?  
Veronica then joined in.  
Veronica, Cheryl, and Betty: Can the child within my heart rise above?  
Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?  
Can I handle the seasons of my life?  
Mmm  
Archie then joined in.  
All but Jughead: Well, I've been 'fraid of changin'  
'Cause I've built my life around you  
But time makes you bolder  
Even children get older  
And I'm gettin' older, too  
Jughead rolled his eyes and decided to join in.  
Jughead: Well, I've been 'fraid of changin'  
'Cause I've built my life around you  
But time makes you bolder  
Even children get older  
And I'm gettin' older, too  
All: Ah, take my love, take it down  
Oh, climb a mountain and turn around  
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills  
Well, the landslide will bring it down  
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills  
Well, the landslide will bring it down  
Oh, the landslide will bring it down  
The group then give themselves a round of applause. The group then went to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Betty wakes up in her tent. Jughead was nowhere to be found. "Jughead," Betty yelled. She left the tent and couldn't find him. "Jughead! Jug!" Archie, Veronica, and Cheryl left their tents.  
"Is everything ok?" Archie asked.  
"Jughead is missing," Betty said. She then started coughing up blood. Cheryl held her hair as Archie found a note.  
'Go to the beach or the king dies.'  
They ran to the beach and saw no other than Penny Peabody. "Penny Peabody, of course, it's you killing all of the serpents," Cheryl said.  
"Where is Jughead?" Betty demanded. Malachi dragged Jughead out by his arm.  
"I'll give you a choice, blondie," Penny said. "I kill you and spare all of the other serpents, or I'll make the same deal with your boyfriend."  
"I'll take the deal," Betty said.  
"Betty no," Jughead said.  
"I'm dying in a few months anyway," Betty said. Malachi released his grip on Jughead and pushed him forward. Betty walked up towards Penny.  
"You were originally on top of my kill list," Penny said. "But then I found out your lungs were doing a better job at killing you than I ever could."  
She forced Betty to her knees and pointed the gun to her forehead. "Let your dying though be that your sacrifice might have been for nothing," Penny said. There then was a loud bang.  
Penny fell to the ground, dead. She had a bullet wound in her head. Betty turned around and saw FP. "Cheryl called 911," FP said. "She thought you guys could use back up."  
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Jughead said. "But thank you, Cheryl."  
"Anytime," Cheryl said. FP arrested Malachi and Penny's body was taken to the police station.  
"So what now?" Jughead asked.  
"I've got sick months to kill," Betty said. "So can we please just try to be normal teenagers?"  
"Sure," Veronica said. "But that's going to be hard for us."  
The group then hug and say they love each other, for a moment forgetting everything.


	6. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Yesterday - the Beatles

The next six months went by faster than anyone wanted. They did manage to have some normal teen experiences. Betty and Jughead were elected homecoming queen and king. They all knew this happiness was temporary, but they didn't care. They were aware how limited their time with Betty was so they made the most of it.  
On February 3rd, 2020, they all woke up from the same text message from Alice.  
Alice: I hate to report on this, but last night Betty died in her sleep last night. I thank you all for supporting her. I know it's hard, but at least her suffering is over.  
Jughead, Archie, Veronica, Cheryl, and Toni met outside the Whyte Worm about a hour later. No one knew what to say. "Her serpent jacket came in yesterday," Toni eventually said, tired of the quietness. "I was thinking about giving it to Alice."  
"That's a wonderful idea," Jughead said.  
"I've learned a new song for this occasion," Archie said. "Should I play it?"  
"Yeah," Toni said. Archie started playing 'Yesterday' by the beetles.  
Archie: Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away  
Now it looks as though they're here to stay  
Oh, I believe in yesterday   
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be  
There's a shadow hanging over me  
Oh, yesterday came suddenly  
Jughead and Archie: Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say  
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday  
All:  
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play  
Now I need a place to hideaway  
Oh, I believe in yesterday  
Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say  
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday  
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play  
Now I need a place to hideaway  
Oh, I believe in yesterday  
Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm

When the song was over, the group went quiet. "It's such a lovely day," Toni said, after a few silent moments.  
"Then why not enjoy it?" Cheryl asked. "Betty wouldn't want us just to sit around and throw a pity party for her."  
"What do you suggest we do?" Veronica asked.  
"How about we start at Pops for breakfast and then see where the day takes us?" Cheryl asked.  
"Ok," Veronica said. The group then left and went to Pops. They enjoyed the day as much as they could. At pops, Jughead saw a bird watching them it. It reminded him that Betty was always with them. He couldn't wait till they met again.


End file.
